And that’s exactly what Hornbuckle realized he was doing when he took a fight with Luis Santos at Bellator 49, which was part of the opening round of the promotion’s Season 5 welterweight tournament.

Santos went Hornbuckle packing with a unanimous decision. It was the third time Hornbuckle had been eliminated, and Bellator later released him from his contract.

“It was not the best time for me to be fighting,” Hornbuckle said.

So the 32-year-old fighter took a year off from fighting. His gym flourished as his students competed on the amateur program. A kids’ program produced standout grapplers. But eventually, he didn’t need to be there at all hours to ensure things ran smoothly.

That’s why Hornbuckle (22-5) jumped at the opportunity to fight when Legacy FC approached him with a main event against UFC vet Pete Spratt (25-21). The two meet Friday at Legacy FC 17, which takes place at Cowboys Dancehall in San Antonio. The event’s main card airs live on AXS TV.

“That fire is back in training,” Hornbuckle said. “It feels good to get those chills, like, ‘Damn, I’m ready to fight.'”

Hornbuckle is well aware of Spratt’s striking skills and doesn’t plan on being a punching bag. But he does promise an exciting affair.

“Dry-humping isn’t the way to go,” he said.

With his current Legacy FC contract allowing for fights in outside promotions, Hornbuckle plans to ramp up his schedule in the coming months. He’s secured a contract with Japanese promoter DEEP, which eagerly bid for his services on the strength of back-to-back stoppages of Akihiro Gono and Nick Thompson under the now-defunct World Victory Road/Sengoku banner.

He admits those performances pigeonholed him into being a standup fighter, which hurt his overall game and may have contributed to the streak that led to his Bellator release. Now a little more wiser and worldly, he hopes to avoid the same mistake in the next phase of his career.

“Legacy is bringing me in and letting me do my thing, and obviously, (welterweight champ) Jeff Rexroad has got a belt that I wouldn’t mind having,” Hornbuckle said. “Not they’ve said, ‘Beat Spratt, and you’ll fight for a title.’ But I always like to keep my eye on the bigger prize. I always train for the next guy, but I always look at the bigger picture.”

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